Semantic Scholar is a free AI-powered search engine for scientific literature from Allen Institute for AI. It indexes hundreds of millions of papers, provides semantic search and alerts, and offers developer APIs plus an augmented Semantic Reader experience for select papers.
Web search and reading features are free for researchers; no paid consumer subscription is advertised on the homepage
API access
Semantic Scholar publishes a public API with paper search and improved documentation for developers building scholarly apps
Is Semantic Scholar right for you?
A good fit for
Scientists, students, and developers who need open literature search, citation exploration, or API access to paper metadata
Before you choose
Semantic Reader and some beta experiences cover select papers only; API usage is subject to published developer terms
Overview
Semantic Scholar provides free AI-assisted discovery over a large scientific corpus, with optional developer APIs and experimental reader enhancements for research workflows.
What it can do
Features & capabilities
Unknown is different from unavailable. Each fact carries its own evidence.
Capability
Value
Evidence
Checked
Corpus size
Homepage search covers hundreds of millions of papers across scientific fields
Facts sourced
2026-10-04
Semantic Reader
Semantic Reader beta offers augmented reading with richer contextual layout for supported papers
Facts sourced
2026-10-04
Developer API
API release notes highlight paper search and improved stability for production scholarly apps
Facts sourced
2026-10-04
Account features
Users can sign in to create a free account for alerts and personalized library features
Facts sourced
2026-10-04
Understand the total cost
Semantic Scholar pricing & plans
Free
Free
Web search and reading features are free for researchers; no paid consumer subscription is advertised on the homepage
Access
Web search and reading features are free for researchers; no paid consumer subscription is advertised on the homepage
Semantic Scholar is a free AI-powered search engine for scientific literature from Allen Institute for AI. It indexes hundreds of millions of papers, provides semantic search and alerts, and offers developer APIs plus an augmented Semantic Reader experience for select papers.
Does Semantic Scholar have a free plan?
Web search and reading features are free for researchers; no paid consumer subscription is advertised on the homepage. This record lists ongoing free access; check the plan limits before starting.
How much does Semantic Scholar cost?
No paid monthly price is listed; this record treats the product as free to start. See the plan cards for entitlements, billing commitments and seat minimums.
Can I use Semantic Scholar through an API?
Semantic Scholar publishes a public API with paper search and improved documentation for developers building scholarly apps. API access and subscription access may have different terms; consult the linked sources.
What should I check before choosing it?
Semantic Reader and some beta experiences cover select papers only; API usage is subject to published developer terms
Price history
No retained pricing changes yet. A current price alone does not establish a historical trend.